Volume 4 | May 18th, 2020
News & Updates
Dear GCSA Community,

We you all are continuing to do well. This bi-monthly newsletter has even more information to assist you through your college search and application process. Check out this short summary of the contents:

FEATURES:

  1. GCSA Service Feature: NEW DATES announced for our Common Application College Essay Jump-Start Webinar.
  2. More information about online college fairs. TWO new ones for STEM and the Colleges that Chance Lives.
  3. Our summer experiences list continues to grow. Check the link below and start planning what activities you will engage in to pursue your area of interest.
  4. 3RPrep, our standardized test prep partners, remind you about their YouTube LIVE sessions each evening. Tune in to get a sense of the testing landscape amid the COVID-19 landscape.
  5. Financial Aid Decisions: Many students still have until June 1st to make their final college decision. Or you might be a junior just learning about FA. We have a FA comparison worksheet to share via NASFAA - The National Association for Student Financial Aid Administrators that will prove useful to either of you. See below.

Please share and if you know someone that could benefit from this information.

Please have them subscribe by clicking the button below or they can visit our website!

Be well friends and family!

Dr. Bruce C. Neimeyer,
President and Founder
Global College Search Associates, LLC
GCSA SERVICE SPOTLIGHTS
FREE
GCSA College Application Tip
Videos
We've created a "College Application Tips " video and many have asked if we would share.

To that end, we have created a place on our website for everyone to access this information any time.

We will be adding new ones often so check back regularly.

Our most recent is: 5 Tips for Your College Application Letters of Recommendation.

Click the link below to view this new and our other older short videos.
Common Application College Essay Jump-Start Webinar Series
LAST CHANCE

THIS WEBINAR WILL: 
  • fill up some of their down time in the coming week;
  • help them gain valuable writing tools and techniques for their college admission essay;
  • help them to START WRITING THEIR ESSAY;
  • free up their time during senior year so they can actually enjoy that time of their life.
  • gain other valuable college search information and insights from our GCSA consultants | webinars hosts who have 60+ years of combined experience based in this profession. 

WHAT ARE THE WEBINAR DATES? 
May 11th, 13nd, & 15th, 2020 
​June 1st, 3rd & 5th, 2020

COST:
These webinars are only $17.99 (a $500 value) for a limited time to ensure more students can take advantage of this opportunity. We will apply this amount toward the cost of our comprehensive service if you decide to hire us for your college search and application journey.

WHAT ARE OUR WEBINAR OUTCOMES?
​ 100%  of our students  DOUBLED their confidence  in being able to write a solid common application admissions essay after day one of this webinar series. 
​
3/5 students  finished   the 3-day webinar with  a solid draft  of their
common application admissions essay.
​
98%  of our students rate their webinar experience  5 out of 5 stars!
(The other 2% give us a 4! We like that!) 

We have  ONLY 50 SPACES  per session available for this webinar series, SO ACT FAST!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Upcoming Events
Online Virtual College Fairs


FAIR #1 - STEM Days
Tuesday, May 19 - Thursday, May 21, 2020
3 days of STEM presentations and information sessions with 31 colleges. Colleges include Columbia University, Purdue, Rice, CMU, Syracuse, IIT, Rutgers, Rensselaer and more!


FAIR #2 - Colleges That Change Lives
Tuesday, May 26 - Thursday, May 28, 2020
3 days of presentations and information sessions with 39 colleges. Colleges include Denison, Rhodes, Allegheny, Eckerd, Clark, Wabash, New College of Florida, Goucher, Wheaton, Cornell and many more.

STANDARDIZED TEST CONVERSATIONS
FREE

Are you still worried about the SAT or ACT? Not sure what is going to happen or how to move forward with planning around this?

Our partners at 3RPrep hold a session on YouTube Mon-Thursday evening discussing these tests and issue related to them. To tune in, just search for 3RPrep and see what's happening on those nights.
SUMMER EXPERIENCE OPPORTUNITIES
Did your summer experience plans just get cancelled? Read here for ones that are still happening.

Due to the COVID-19 many of our students have experienced the cancelation of their summer experience opportunities. In order to provide options for our students, we, along with other Independent Educational Consultants have assembled a list of summer opportunities that are still happening or have been developed due to shelter-in-place practices.

CLICK HERE to see our UPDATED (April 2020) spreadsheet of options.

We will be updating this list and making it available through our newsletter. Stay-tuned for new additions!
ADMISSIONS UPDATES
THE COLLEGE BOARD AP TEST

We continue to hear frustrating stories from students and parents alike about their experience with the new AP Test.

The folks at Arborbridge have put out a useful guide to help students prepare for the newly formatted, online, AP exam. Click the link below for their electronic guide.
TEST OPTIONAL SCHOOLS!
Because of CORVID-19 the number of Accredited 4-Year Colleges and Universities will have ACT/SAT-Optional Policies for Fall 2021 Admissions. 1

To learn more about who these test optional schools are, please check out FAIRTEST.org
FINANCIAL AID UPDATES
HOW TO COMPARE YOUR OFFERS OF FINANCIAL AID
NASFAA's  Aid Offer Comparison Worksheet  is a useful tool that students and families can use to decipher different award letters and compare them on a level playing field. The worksheet gives students tips to follow when comparing aid offers — explaining the difference between gift aid and self-help aid, checking for eligibility requirements to maintain grants and scholarships, and calculating out-of-pocket costs for school.